Currently, the containers of medical products, such as glass syringes, are packaged by the manufacturers in a so-called “nest” form and shipped in sterile conditions. Shipping syringes in a “nest” format means shipping syringes which have been packaged on a plastic plate mainly comprising a support plate, hereinafter called nest plate, which is formed by a matrix of openings, each of these openings supporting a syringe. This nest plate is typically supported by a plastic box hereinafter called nest box which protects the syringes (see, for example, the product HYPAK® SCF®, Becton, Dickinson and Company of Franklin Lakes, N.J., USA). This packaging is, furthermore, covered by a membrane seal, bagged and then ready for sterilization.
When the syringes are shipped in the “nest” format to a pharmaceutical company, they have to be handled in order to be individually filled. After having removed the bag and the membrane seal from each packaging, manually or by automated equipment means, each nest plate is removed from its corresponding nest box and the syringes are then filled one by one, row by row or by multiple-part series. After the filling step, it is necessary on the one hand to label each syringe in order to define the medical product contained and, on the other hand, to inspect the syringes to detect any contamination of the product as well as any cracks or scratches in the syringes. Other operations may be required such as, for example, the addition of needle protections or plugs. The inspection is conventionally carried out by means of a system of optical sensors (or a camera) which individually inspect the syringes. However, in accordance with the usual practice and because of technical limitations (quantity of syringes, difficulties in labeling and/or inspecting the syringes placed in the central part of the nest plate, etc.), the syringes are first removed from the nest plate before being labeled and/or inspected. Thus, when the syringes are finally labeled and/or inspected, they are then once again handled and stored either directly in the nest box without being stored on the nest plate, or in a different support, hereinafter called comb plate (see the document U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,595 described below). The latter has multiple elongate fingers for keeping the syringes suspended by their collars. It should be noted that, after the labeling and/or inspection, the syringes are no longer reinserted into the nest plate because it is more efficient and easier to store them in the comb plate which is bought separately. A nest-type packaging, such as the product HYPAK®SCF®, is therefore unsuitable for automated handling because it requires complex machinery. Also, in a semi-automatic handling context (with human assistance), it is difficult to exceed rates of more than 6000 syringes per hour. However, while on the one hand the comb plates are preferable to the nest plates for storing the syringes more rapidly and more easily, they are, on the other hand, unsuitable for transporting and storing the syringes. In practice, when the comb plates are stored one on top of the other in vertical columns, some parts of the syringes risk being damaged or broken, because of their direct contact with the underside of the packaging placed above. In order to avoid this problem, the comb plates must be placed in additional specific boxes and provided with lids with an immobilizing internal flange.
Specific boxes in which the medical containers are arranged are known in the art but they are not suited, because of their structure, to all the automated production line steps. Thus, a box that has a structure that is too flexible, i.e. not rigid enough, will, for example, hamper the correct efficiency of a palletization or depalletization step since it will be difficult to handle using an automated system.
Hence, FIG. 1 represents a schematic view of a production line as currently known. This details the different steps undertaken for checking or inspecting vaccine syringes. The quality of the syringe is checked using cameras and optical checkers. The step of the area A corresponds to the movement of a pallet 4 having “nest” boxes filled with syringes. The pallet is brought into an area B by an operator 5 who places the “nest” boxes on an accumulation conveyor 1 supplying the robot 2 of the area C with the boxes. The robot 2 of the area C removes the syringes from the “nest” box to send them to the checking or inspection area D via a new conveyor. At the same time, an operator 6 retrieves the empty “nest” boxes to return them manually to a pallet in area E. The syringes are analyzed by the cameras and/or the optical checkers in the area D then routed into area F where said syringes are arranged on combs and then in boxes and lidded via apparatuses 3. The latter are supplied with combs, boxes and lids by operators 7 who manually route the empty combs, the empty boxes and the lids from the area G to the area F. The last step consists in routing the boxes filled with syringes arranged on the combs and sealed by the lid from the area F to H. The boxes used in the areas F and G and those used in the areas A and B are not the same because of the difficulty in handling nest-type boxes by automated systems at high rate. This production line, usually subject to strict standards of cleanliness and hygiene (Grade A to D, GMP standard) consumes space, consumables, operators and energy because of the problems associated with the overlapping of the boxes in the pallets. Generally, on changes of pallets, the production line has to be stopped, thus creating a stoppage time problem. Grades A and B correspond to a maximum of 3500 particles of 0.5 μm and above per m3 and 0 particles beyond 5 μm. The grade C corresponds to a maximum number of 350,000 particles of 0.5 μm and above per m3 and 2000 particles beyond 5 μm. The grade D corresponds to a maximum number of 3,500,000 particles of 0.5 μm and above per m3 and 20,000 particles beyond 5 μm.
The problems associated with the loading or the unloading of a pallet have not been able to be resolved. Systems comprising a plate between each level of the pallet have been able to be considered but this entails the use of a complex handling clamp device. This palletization or depalletization step is therefore generally performed manually, thus raising all the questions associated with the quality of the products following manual handling: possibility of contamination of the containers, risk of damage linked to the handling, etc.
Obviously, there is, here, a need for a box capable of resolving the limitations and the drawbacks of the current systems and of making it possible to proceed more readily and rapidly with the storage, transportation and delivery of medical containers. There is, in particular, the need for a box which allows vertically-suspended syringes to be supported more easily and more securely, which increases the efficiency and facilitates the handling of large quantities of syringes during the sterilization, filling, labeling and/or inspection procedures, performed by highly automated machines in the production lines.